]]>The trial of businessman Christopher Panayiotou, who is accused of orchestrating the murder of his schoolteacher wife Jayde, and his two co-accused Sinethemba Nenembe and Zolani Sibeko resumes Monday in the Port Elizabeth High Court.

Defence Advocate Terry Price is expected to cross examine state witness Clarishka Kapp – a close friend of Panayiotou’s mistress, Chanelle Coutts. Last week in her testimony Kapp revealed details of the intimate relationship between the accused and her friend.

Kapp told the court how she accompanied Coutts and Christopher Panayiotou when they traveled to George during September 2014, to celebrate her birthday.

She told the prosecution that the trio slept over for two nights at a hotel and she would sleep in a room on the bottom floor while Christopher and Coutts shared a room on an upper floor.

Kapp said that she was also aware of an escapade in which Christopher and Coutts spent time together in Summerstrand, situated along the beachfront in Port Elizabeth.

Kapp said Christopher Panayiotou confided in her that he loved Coutts and that the feeling “was mutual”.

She said Christopher Panayiotou bought her friend expensive gifts that included Polo bags, a watch and a GHD, which cost thousands of rand.

During Kapp’s testimony, Christopher Panayiotou dropped his head, stared at the floor and at one point his ears appeared to turn blood red.

Kapp also produced a photo she had stored on her phone of Christopher Panayiotou and Coutts in bed together – just five days after Jayde went missing.

The body of the Grade 7 teacher at Riebeek College Girls’ High School in Uitenhage was later found by police after a massive search.

“I went to the OK Grocer, Chanelle wanted to speak to me, she was very freaked out because she had been with the police. She was scared her phone was tapped,” said Kapp.

Kapp said she went home and deleted the photo.

Price interjected on two occasions saying that parts of Kapp’s evidence amounted to hearsay.

It is alleged that Christopher Panayiotou paid Luthando Siyoni, a bouncer from his Infinity nightclub, to hire hitman Sizwezakhe Vumazonke to kidnap and kill Jayde.

The State alleges that Nenembe assisted Vumazonke to kidnap and murder Jayde at the behest of her husband, Christopher Panayiotou.

Siyoni has since turned States witness.

After being driven to a remote area on the outskirts of Kwanobuhle, where the alleged killing took place, the State claims that Vumazaonke fired two shots through Jayde’s back and one shot through her head.

The accused face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition. The men have pleaded not guilty to all the charges against them.

Christopher Panayiotou, who was arrested shortly after his wife’s murder more than a year ago, faces an additional charge of defeating the ends of justice.

Sibeko was the last suspect to be arrested, 15 months after the murder. He was apparently linked to the murder through cellphone mapping, which places him outside Jayde’s complex in the days before her murder. However, his exact role in the events is still unclear.

]]>Western Force unsettled as ARU takeover loomshttp://thesouthafrica.co.za/western-force-unsettled-aru-takeover-looms/
Fri, 27 May 2016 07:08:20 +0000http://thesouthafrica.co.za/?p=8891The Western Force are facing a cash crisis similar to the Southern Kings, which may see the Australian Rugby Union in a takeover of the Perth-based Super Rugby franchise. The Force have battled to attract crowds to his nib Stadium home ground in recent seasons amid a slump on the pitch. They have won just …

]]>The Western Force are facing a cash crisis similar to the Southern Kings, which may see the Australian Rugby Union in a takeover of the Perth-based Super Rugby franchise.

The Force have battled to attract crowds to his nib Stadium home ground in recent seasons amid a slump on the pitch. They have won just two out of 11 matches and are languishing at the bottom of the Australian Conference with 11 points.

That is the third-lowest in the entire competition, with just the Sunwolves from Japan (nine) and the Kings from Port Elizabeth (four) with fewer points.

Fox Sports in Australia reported this week that the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) chief executive Bill Pulver arrived in Perth this week to sort out the last few issues before the ARU officially takes over the Force, with an announcement expected next week.

This outcome will see Force chief Mark Sinderberry report to the ARU instead of the Force board, while a number of players are coming off contract at the end of the season and may have to look for a new team.

Force coach Michael Foley is also under pressure to hold on to his post, with rumours that outgoing Crusaders boss Todd Blackadder may head west to Perth.

Force scrumhalf Alby Mathewson is one of those players looking over their shoulder as he has a unique contract as a marquee international player.

“I know there’s a few boys off contract, and it affects everyone differently,” New Zealander Mathewson told Fox Sports.

“The ARU talked to us a couple of days ago. Bill Pulver was over here trying to shed some light on the situation. Hopefully, in the next week or so there’s a lot more clarity, because there’s quite a few other players wondering what’s going on with that sort of stuff.

“I’ve been here for four years now, so I’m pretty settled,” Mathewson said. “But I understand the way rugby works with contracts and moving around. So I’ll just have to wait and see.”

The Kings were also bailed out by SA Rugby ahead of this season’s Super Rugby competition, with the national body running the franchise on its own.

But the Kings have reportedly secured sponsorship from a UK company that is set to be announced in the near future as part of their business rescue plan to avoid liquidation.

]]> The launch of Nelson Mandela Bay’s much anticipated metro police force on Friday was overshadowed by angry traffic officers from the metro’s safety and security department protesting outside the city hall while mayor Danny Jordaan delivered his speech.

Jordaan introduced the acting metro police chief Andrew Moses at the official launch. Metro police chief Pinkie Mathabethe – who was employed in 2014 – was not at the launch on Friday. Moses said she had been placed on sick leave.

Jordaan said Moses came into the position “highly qualified” from the SA Police Service and would focus on, among others, traffic law enforcement, enforcement of municipal by-laws, and crime prevention.

The metro police had been seven years in the making. Acting executive director for corporate services Vuyi Zitumane said R225 million had been budgeted for operations this year.

Zitumane said the metro was looking at a phased approach with Kwanobhule and Helenvale to be the first areas for the roll-out.

However, a disgruntled traffic officer Ginga Nangu said they wanted the council to put a proper structure forward.

“There are outstanding issues around back pay and where people were supposed to be given their four notches, but that has not happened. They are saying 200 or something qualify, but 300 people do not meet the requirement for the metro police,” complained Nangu.

“They must give the proper grades. We want to know what’s going to happen with those who do not qualify? We are only willing to join the metro police force once all the issues have been finalised. We are not party to the metro police. We have not even been invited. Before they recruit us they must resolve our outstanding issues,” he said.

SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) regional secretary Mqondisi Nodongwe raised questions around how metro police officers would carry out their duties without having received proper training.

“We have never discussed the placement areas. They are saying it’s not a placement, but are giving them letters so they can act. Our biggest concern is the non-consultation on the implementation of the metro police. We believe it’s going to affect the future of our members as employees.

“That’s a question we have been raising because they have never been trained; they are merely traffic officers and some are from the security division, but they are not properly trained on how to deal with crime,” said Nodongwe.

Responding to the issues raised by the disgruntled union members, Zitumane said less than 200 people did not meet the requirements to be absorbed into the metro police.

“We have taken the decision as the metro to absorb everyone who wants to move to the metro police, irrespective if they meet the requirements or not. However, we will assist them to meet those requirements which are matric, traffic and police training, and having no criminal record.”

There was a process plan to identify those who did not meet the requirements. “We will have our own in-house training centre on policing; they will also get the traffic qualification. We have funds dedicated for them, set aside for them to take the training in order to meet the requirements, so no one is going to be excluded,” said Zitumane.

The metro was looking at having 207 metro police officers on the road by the end of this year.

“To date, we have appointed 78 officials who have accepted letters of appointment. They will be inducted next week. Only after they have been inducted will they be on the roads.”

It was not immediately clear when the metro police officers would start their duties. Jordaan said the metro police launch was about creating a safe living environment for all.

“I want to assure staff members that we will not do anything to jeopardise their job security. The metro police will not automatically solve crime. We want to advise those who recklessly politicise crime and the suffering of the families to stop doing so.

“This metro is far down the list of the most unsafe metros. We have to continue to fight crime and pursue progress,” said Jordaan.

]]>Eastern Province Rugby’s refs work for freehttp://thesouthafrica.co.za/eastern-province-rugbys-refs-work-free/
http://thesouthafrica.co.za/eastern-province-rugbys-refs-work-free/#respondWed, 11 May 2016 12:27:21 +0000http://thesouthafrica.co.za/?p=8310To add to Eastern Province Rugby’s woes, referees in the the province are not being paid for their services. Eastern Province Rugby Referees’ Society said that they would continue to work for the “love of the game going on” despite not being paid by cash-strapped EP Rugby to referee rugby matches. At the Port Elizabeth …

]]>To add to Eastern Province Rugby’s woes, referees in the the province are not being paid for their services.

Eastern Province Rugby Referees’ Society said that they would continue to work for the “love of the game going on” despite not being paid by cash-strapped EP Rugby to referee rugby matches.

At the Port Elizabeth High court on Tuesday it emerged that SA Rugby were facilitating and working on a sponsorship deal with a potential equity partner, worth R80 million to save the embattled EP Rugby from liquidation.

The union subsequently asked for a postponement so they may file papers for a business rescue application. EP Rugby will essentially have to motivate to the court how the business rescue will take place in order to have the union saved from permanent liquidation.

Lawyers representing provisionally liquidated EP Rugby are expected to submit a business rescue application to the PE High court on May 24.

Speaking to the African News Agency (ANA) on Wednesday, EP Rugby Referees’ Society chairman, Jacque Hugo, said that EP Rugby would usually pay a stipend to referees per game, however, he confirmed that referees had not received any payment since the end of July last year.

“The stipend would range between R75 to R100 a game, referees for top games would receive R150 per match. A travelling allowance for petrol costs were also paid if referees travelled outside Port Elizabeth or Uitenhage to places like Graaf-Reinett and Cradock,” said Hugo.

All in all, 120 referees had been severely affected and if they chose to referee a game they were doing so purely for the sake of the game continuing. Hugo said they wanted to keep rugby alive for the province.

He added that rugby matches were not always easy and there was always a chance of physical and verbal abuse.

“I try to appeal to the guys to go out there and let the game of rugby continue, at the end of the day it’s about 30 players who want to play and we want to deliver that service.”

Hugo added that the EP Rugby Referees’ Society were not employees of EP Rugby, so in essence the organisation had no contract to fall back on.

“EP Rugby were suppose to make payment as a token of good faith or a gesture, it is unfortunate but we understand that they are going through a difficult time,” he said.

He added that it was difficult for the young referees who were unemployed or contract workers and depended solely on the stipend as an income. He said that many of the referees also did not have cars, so it made it difficult to travel to matches.

]]>http://thesouthafrica.co.za/eastern-province-rugbys-refs-work-free/feed/0PE man accused of hit and run expected back in courthttp://thesouthafrica.co.za/pe-man-accused-hit-run-expected-back-court/
Tue, 10 May 2016 07:35:13 +0000http://thesouthafrica.co.za/?p=8280A 27-year-old man who allegedly drove over two young teenage school girls while under the influence of alcohol, is expected back in the Port Elizabeth magistrate’s court on Tuesday. William Taute, employed at South African Breweries as an account manager, is facing a string of charges which include culpable homicide, attempted murder, reckless or negligent …

]]>A 27-year-old man who allegedly drove over two young teenage school girls while under the influence of alcohol, is expected back in the Port Elizabeth magistrate’s court on Tuesday.

William Taute, employed at South African Breweries as an account manager, is facing a string of charges which include culpable homicide, attempted murder, reckless or negligent driving, driving under the influence of liquor, excessive amount of alcohol in blood and failure by driver to immediately stop after an accident.

In March Taute was granted bail of R5,000. He is currently living on family farm in Vryburg in the North West as part of his bail conditions.

Defence attorney Ryno Scholtz previously indicated that his client intended to plead not guilty to the charges against him.

Following the incident in April, Jaydene Lucas, 16, was taken to Livingstone Hospital where she was immediately put on life support, but the machines were subsequently switched off and she died.

Her friend, Lorren Abrahams, 20 was reportedly in a critical condition.

The girls were on their way to Navy Cadette training and were accompanied by other friends while walking near the Humewood intersection.

State Prosecutor Timothy Van Rooyen previously indicated in court that Taute was allegedly traveling at a high speed when he is accused of striking the girls.

Van Rooyen further indicated that Taute also allegedly jumped a red robot, refused to stop at the scene of the accident and also overtook other stationery cars.

It further emerged in court that Taute had only very recently resigned from his job as an SAB account manager and was in the process of leaving South Africa to seek opportunities in New Zealand.

He had since cancelled his plans to travel abroad after the incident and his passport has been handed in to the investigating officer.

]]>First suspect in Uitenhage teen murder to appear in courthttp://thesouthafrica.co.za/first-suspect-uitenhage-teen-murder-appear-court/
Wed, 04 May 2016 05:36:28 +0000http://thesouthafrica.co.za/?p=8122A 22-year old man arrested in connection with the murder of a 14-year old girl is expected to make his first appearance in the Uitenhage magistrate’s court on Wednesday. Police last week police launched an intensive search operation after Micaylen Hendricks was reported missing on Freedom Day. It is alleged that Hendricks was sent by …

It is alleged that Hendricks was sent by her mother to a nearby shop to buy diapers on Wednesday morning. She never returned home.

Police spokesperson, Sergeant Majola Nkohli said the man was arrested on Sunday evening after leading police to a shack in Moegesukkel informal settlement where the girl’s body was discovered.

Nkholi said that at this stage it was uncertain who the shack belonged to.

“A very few people saw her body so I cannot elaborate on injuries sustained. The forensic expert at the scene did not want anyone to tamper with the scene. A family member was at the scene to identify the body,” said Nkholi.

He added that a post mortem would be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

Nkholi said the suspect faced a charge of murder and there was a possibility of more charges being added.